OUGD602 - PPP - Portfolio Help

Portfolio Help 

- the amount of text used in a portfolio is dependent of preference 
- can be good to add context to the work to explain what the work is about and helps create a narrative around the work 
- perhaps frame the text around the ideas of brief (problem), strategy (essence) and solution (outcome, how it meets this). 
- consider having a master document for the portfolio so that bits can be easily selected to be sent to different places
- use a template that has option within it and is flexible 
- create consistency within the portfolio in terms of style 
- look at how other agencies talk about their work 
- get a balance between image and text 
- big images sell the work 
- give the work room to breath, don't have too much text on each slide and balance images with text 
- tailor the content to the studio etc that you are sending it to 
- be clear and concise 

OUGD602 - PPP Session - Instagram

Instagram 

- handy for most things

Task  

- find a specialist to come in to talk about Instagram 
- use visuals, stats and a story to show who you want to come in
- they don't have to be Graphic designers
- How big is there following?
- what makes their content engaging?
- does the Instagram win them work?
- will it influence the kind of content you put up if getting work through it
- what do you think you could learn from them 
- what do you want to ask them 

OUGD602 - PPP Session - Website Session help and Finding Emails

Website Session help an Finding Emails 

Website Session 

- do the basics well, it doesn't have to be amazing to be good 
- consider images such as split images
- there is a difference between show work and university work 
- think about continuity 
- the about page can be quite simple 
- it doesn't matter how many projects there are 
- consider rows and columns 
- how will it look on a phone 
- consider the size and placement of the images 
- photographs of design and in context 
- show work that represents you best
- even if you have the best work it doesn't always mean that it will be seen 
- need to be able to communicate ideas well
- need to talk effectively 
- pitching, networking, submissions 
- prep really important to appearing confident

Choose a project for the website and in one sentence cover three things, what, how and why 
What is the core idea? What is is about
How does it work? How does it achieve it 
Why does it work? purpose , can use this process to evaluate 

The outcome of this process can be used as a conversation starter

Finding Emails 

- google hunter.io - put domain name in and finds all the references to it on the internet 
someone @ .... type into google and click verbatim. This narrows down the results
- bcc is hidden so any addresses that are put in here won't be seen 
- be clear in the email use an elevator pitch in the email, what you want, how they can help, be reasonable and clear
- face to face meetings are important 
- call people 
- try using animation or motion in the email 
- consider sending emails early 

OUGD602 - PPP Session - Self Promo

Self Promo

Task One 

- two weeks to make a website, portfolio etc, whatever is relevant to you
- personal branding should be consistent across everything 
- curated selection of work / repackage your work if you are not happy with everything 
- an engaging bio. Think about your audience
- contact details and relevant social media
- can be a custom site email or gmail 
- try and use the same handle across platforms
- inbound and outbound links must function 
- projects need context with intriguing copy 
- build or continue to refine and existing site
- can be a template site such as:
squarespace
persona.co
readymag
- can use the free trials 

Design considerations:

- design could use all text
- could use playful images and backgrounds 
- could use transitions / images
- consider domain and content hosting 

OUGD602 - PPP Session - Visioning and Time Management

Visioning

Visioning Session 

- Is a picture of what success looks like at a particular point in the future, describe with enough richness of detail that you'll know when you've arrived.

- Inspiring, detailed, documented, communicated and a little scary

- 'A vision without execution is a hallucination' Thomas Edison 

- You rvision inspires and informs the actions that bring you closer to your goal 

- Allows you to define success on your terms, not on those of others 

- Moving forward, you can break a vision, no matter how big, into smaller, manangeable actions and tasks

Key Points:

- 5 or 10 years time
- Write date
- Write in present tense
- Describe in detail
- Cover everything that defines success

9^th Nov 2023 or 2028

It is November 2028 I have a flexible working life with freedom to choose when and how I work during the week. I usually work four days a week starting from 9:00am to 3:00pm however which days this is varies and depends on what projects I am working on. I am running an online homeware business that sells reclaimed and upcycled products. My job allows me to travel around and find / source new products once a week. My products are also stocked in a range of independent / luxury shops. I also upcycle materials to create my own range of products with a particular focus on officeware / creative tools.

I have a job working in exhibition and experiential design / production and regularly work on projects in film, theatre and heritage.

I am earning enough money to be comfortable and not have to worry about paying the bills. Every weekend I visit a new town or city to explore new places.

I have built my own house from scratch with help from friends and family using upcycled materials and containers. I have some land with a nice garden with a small pond and frogs. I also have a few cute rabbits who live outdoors.

At the end of the garden I have a studio space with a sedum roof for all my creative exploits. The studio has lots of plants, there is also a wood workshop with a laser cutter and other machines. 

Time Management 

Skill Share - Real Productivity Video  

- 3 priorities for the week, 3 priorities for the day and 3 wins for the week

- Helps to define important tasks

- includes personal and professional tasks 

- carve out time 

- try one new good habit

- open time for unexpected things

- 30 - 90 minute blocks 

- Flexible and enough space to do everything 

- simplicity and consistency = productivity 

- don't try and change everything overnight 

- 1 new positive habit

- annual goals 3 - 10

- quarterly review 

- do things in bursts

- plan - do - review

- put a value against tasks to make sure the right things are proiritised 

Other techniques

52 - 17 52 minutes and 17 minutes rest

 Pomodoro 25 min and 5 min break

After 4th session get 15 min break 

Eat the Frog 

Start with the most daunting tasks 

100% focus until complete 

Order tasks in order of priority

Getting Things Done 

Master Plan of all things to do 

Organise 'next action' 'someday maybe' 'waiting for' 

Put things in categories

Apps and Software 

Stickies

Teux - deux

Marinara - plug in on browser. Is a pomodoro technique 

Self Control - black lists stuff

Toggl - marks how much time spent doing different tasks 

Task 

1. Set 3 annual goals 

2. Set 3 goals for each term

3. Hourly plan for next week 

4. Test and Identify some productivity tools that will help you to stay focused 

Annual Goals 

- Get a 1st 
- Find 10 days for work placement
- Make more 3D work

Term Goals 

- Complete COP submission (project, design boards and blog)

- Placement 1 

- 3 Studio Practice Briefs (blog and design boards) 

  

  

OUGD602 - Session - How to: Get a Placement

How to: to Get a Placement 

There are lots of things that you can do with a Graphic Design degree

- graphic designer - freelance (in agencies aswell)
- graphic designer - design studio
- graphic designer - inhouse
- juniour designer in ad agency 
- creative director  - within agency - top level and has overall ownership of the strategy
- marketing 
- consultancy (strategy) (a bit like freelance)
- teacher
- social media manager
- studio founder
- app design 
- UX / UI 
- Illustrator
- Typographer 
- Product Design *
- Blogger / Social Media personality 
- Set Design *
- Content Strategist 
- Art Director - under creative director and on hand when things are being made / produced
- Advertising Creative - ideas machine 
- Packaging Design
- Pre - press technician - printers make sure documents correct for print 
- Front end web developer - design the website then hand it over to another person 
- Motion Branding 
- Exhibition Design*
- Interior Design*
- Print maker / run print service 
- Account director - first point of contact for a client within an agency 
- Brand Strategist - like consultancy but more focussed - decide how and when things are going to be seen 
- Image retoucher
- Artworker - preprint
- Magazine Editor
- Event Production 
- Video Artist 
- Artist 

The Myers Briggs Type Indicator  - 16personalities.com 

My personality type : Diplomat - Advocate 

Reaching Out

- Consider wording and ways to talk about yourself when writing emails 

- research, invest time, resilience

- email, visit studio, phone, letter, send something (physical)

- often people can ignore emails 

- to make a phone call easier write out what you want to say in bullet points / notes so that you say everything you want to 

- if making something physical it could be personalised to the studio and have a connection to something they have done

- invite them to your event / exhibition - End of Year Show 

- get friends to look at emails and edit them 

- confidence is important, sometimes this is more important than your portfolio, sell yourself

- be confident clear and succinct in your communication 

- talking about character traits and how you would fit into what they do is important 

- use decisive language e.g i can, i will

- talk up your soft skills and how you would fit within their team 

- don't make it too long, short and sharp 

- can tell them more in a meeting 

- have a clear ask e.g. Could we meet on ...

- make email easy to respond to as they are more likely to answer

- make it really clear and simple to respond to 

- do follow up emails after a week. They may reply after being prompted

- be confident and persistent 

- What is the aim of emailing / making contact? To get a face to face meeting with them

- After a face to face it is more difficult to say no to you as more of a connection has been made

- Ask questions when you meet them 

- Go to events, network and make connections

- Try to talk to people they are normal people

- Trying something that perhaps you think you don't like for work experience can help tick this off as something you definitely something you don't want to do whilst you could find out you like elements of it.